Durant picked up his injury during the third quarter of the Nets’ 102-101 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night when Heat player Jimmy Butler fell back onto Durant’s knee after his shot was blocked by Ben Simmons. While Durant got up after a few seconds and appeared to attempt to play on, the Nets called a time-out 30 seconds later, during which Durant was taken out of the game.

In January 2021, Durant injured the MCL in his left knee, leading to him missing six weeks of action. He also missed over a month in 2017 due to a sprained MCL and a tibial bone bruise.

Durant will leave a big gap in the Nets’ roster during his absence, having averaged 30 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists this season, thereby being included in the conversation for this season’s MVP.

The post Kevin Durant Sidelined for a Month appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Early in the offseason, Durant asked to be traded before changing his mind and giving the team owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum. He was willing to remain in Brooklyn but wanted Nash and general manager Sean Marks fired. However, Tsai remained supportive of his coaching staff and front office, which forced Durant to change his stance and agree to return to the Nets regardless.

Nash was first to break the silence on this unusual situation, telling reporters on Tuesday that he didn’t see the ultimatum the same way everyone else saw it.

“Knowing Kevin as long as I have, it didn’t really bother me the way everyone would think,” Nash said. “That’s a part of being competitors. I wasn’t overly surprised, and I wasn’t even overly concerned.”

Nash added that the media reports didn’t tell the whole story but did not follow up on his remark. According to him, all parties have left the drama behind and are now only focusing on having success in the 2022-23 NBA season.

After another disappointing playoff exit with the Nets last season, Kevin Durant reportedly grew disillusioned about the situation in Brooklyn and made a trade request. The Nets did their due diligence and engaged in talks with several teams, but many believe the team never actually fully committed to trading away their best player.

The closest the Nets came to trading Kevin Durant was during talks with the Boston Celtics, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on the package. The Celtics were willing to offer All-Star Jaylen Brown and several other assets but rejected the Nets’ request to include reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, in the deal.

The post Nets’ Coach Steve Nash on Kevin Durant Wanting Him Fired: “It Didn’t Really Bother Me” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“[Head Coach] Steve Nash and I, together with [owners] Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday,” said general manager Sean Marks in a statement. “We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”

Durant, who has four years left on his contract, asked the Nets to trade him earlier this offseason. The team initially complied with the request but found that there was no deal out there that would make sense.

The closest they were to making a trade was when the Boston Celtics got involved, but the two sides couldn’t come to terms about compensation. The Celtics reportedly were willing to include All-Star Jaylen Brown and multiple picks in the deal, but the talks came to a halt when the Nets also asked for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and more draft assets.

Earlier this month, Durant showed a willingness to remain in Brooklyn but issued an ultimatum to Tsai to choose between him or Nash and Marks. Tsai didn’t budge and quickly reiterated his support to the coach and the GM, which ultimately took away Durant’s leverage.

Durant finished the 2021-22 season with averages of 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. The Nets failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs, falling to the Celtics, who went on to reach the NBA finals.

The post Kevin Durant Decides to Stay with the Brooklyn Nets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to sources close to the issue, Tsai met with Durant in London to discuss the player’s future. Durant is still insistent on moving away from the Nets after submitting a trade request on June 30. These developments come one year after the 33-year-old player signed an extension with the team.

With four years and $198 million left on his contract, the Nets can be patient when it comes to finding the best trade deal for Durant.

After joining the Nets in 2019, Durant’s tenure with the team has been riddled with issues. The player sat out the entire 2019-20 season with an Achilles tendon tear, during which time fellow new signing DeAndre Jordan was traded after a brief stint with the Nets.

Last season, Durant averaged 29.9 points in 55 games, in addition to leading the United States Men’s National Team to Olympic gold.

The post Nets’ Governor Tsai Backs Front Office During Durant Row appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to The Athletic‘s NBA insider Shams Charania, the latest team to get involved in the KD sweepstakes is the Boston Celtics. The 2022 NBA finalists have reportedly engaged in talks with the Nets and have already sent out an official offer.

Charania reports that Boston’s first offer included All-Star Jaylen Brown, guard Derrick White, and a draft pick, but the Nets decided to pass on it and counter with their own proposal. Brooklyn will accept Brown and draft picks but also wants reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and an additional rotation player included in the deal. The Celtics have so far been reluctant to make Smart part of the deal.

It is easy why both sides have the motivation to pull off a deal. The Celtics are already an NBA finals team as they are, and swapping Brown for Durant would, in theory, get them over the hump. The Nets, on the other hand, would get everything they have asked for in a potential KD trade, including an All-Star player, a starter, and draft picks.

The Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors still remain engaged with the Nets, although these conversations haven’t progressed as much as expected. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns are considered out of the race after giving DeAndre Ayton a max deal earlier this month.

The post Boston Celtics Join the List of Kevin Durant Suitors appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Speaking about his team’s struggles on Monday, superstar Kevin Durant said he believes the Nets’ shortcomings this season result from the knee injury he has been dealing with.

“To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury,” Durant said. “So I’m not looking at it like we’re just not a good basketball team.”

Durant was an early MVP candidate at the start of the season but suffered a sprained MCL in mid-January. The injury sidelined him for almost two months, causing the Nets to slip in the standings.

The 33-year-old player added that things would be different if he and his All-Star teammate Kyrie Irving were able to play. Irving was limited to away games for the better part of the year due to New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

It’s like there wasn’t a lot of continuity with me and Kyrie [Irving] out of the lineup, that’s just what it is,” he explained. “When we’re all on the floor together I like what we got.”

When healthy, Kevin Durant was one of the best basketball players on the planet. He averaged 30.1 points per game on 52.4 percent shooting while also adding 7.3 rebounds and career-high 6.1 assists per game.

The post Kevin Durant Says Nets’ Season “Was Derailed By My Injury” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

During a recent appearance on Play For Keeps podcast, Durant was asked to give his prediction on this year’s NBA Finals matchup.

“If I had to choose—and I hate doing that because you never know what could happen, you seen that with us last year—but if I had to choose, I’ll go with Clippers and Bucks for the championship,” said Durant.

When pressed to endorse a winner, the 2014’s MVP went with the team from LA: “And I’ll go with the Clippers.”

Clippers were one of the favorites for the title entering the season after acquiring All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in the summer. Despite some inconsistency and injury issues, they mostly met the expectations and currently sit at the No.2 in Western Conference with 45-22 record.

“They’re just so deep,” Durant explained. “They haven’t had their whole team together at once for a long period of time yet, and that talent is just undeniable.”

While there is no overwhelming favorite for the 2020 NBA Champion compared to some previous years, most people favor the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have the NBA’s best regular-season record at the moment, being led by the presumable MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

LA Lakers, who are No.1 in the West, are given the most chances behind the Bucks alongside Clippers. Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors are seen as having potential for an upset.

The post Kevin Durant Predicts 2020 NBA Champion: “I’ll Go with the Clippers” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The details are still unknown, but his stake is reportedly between 1% to 5%.

The NBA player has been interested in investing in a soccer team for a while now and has previously made two attempts to get a stake in his hometown club D.C. United. He was unsuccessful with D.C. United, but he remained interested in the MLS market and took the shot when the Philly opportunity became available.

Philadelphia Union began playing MLS as an expansion team in 2010, and so far, the club hasn’t had much success, but its fan base has been growing which may make them a good investment in the future.

Kevin Durant isn’t the only NBA player to invest in business ventures in soccer; Lebron James invested in soccer in 2011, buying a 2% stake in Premier League’s Liverpool and Houston Rockets’ player James Harden is part of an ownership group that took over Houston Dynamo and he owns a small part of the club.

The post Kevin Durant Buys Stake in MLS’ Philadelphia Union appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Durant, who signed with the Nets last summer, was previously scheduled to miss the entire season due to Achilles tendon injury he suffered during the 2019 NBA Finals. However, due to the NBA’s decision to suspend the competition due to coronavirus pandemic, many believed that Durant could end up playing if season resumes later in the summer.

Asked about his opinion on the matter during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Kleiman expressed doubt that Durant ends up playing so soon.

“From my standpoint, no,” said Kleiman. “I think it’s unrealistic. That’s just my view on it. We haven’t gotten deep into the conversation about it because of how unrealistic it all seems to me. I figure that, if something changed, he would tell me.”

Kevin Durant didn’t comment on his possible return in the past, but Brooklyn Nets’ general manager Sean Marks recently didn’t want to rule out that possibility. However, such a move probably wouldn’t be wise.

Once the NBA season returns, the schedule will be more pack and the games will be played with more intensity, which would increase the risk of injuries. Also, Nets aren’t particularly good at the moment and have lost their coach midway through the season, which decreases their chances of being competitive. So, even if Durant is ready to play, it would be better to keep him on the sidelines and have him ready for the 2020/21.

The post Kevin Durant’s Return This Season is “Unrealistic” Says Agent appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Durant picked up his injury during the third quarter of the Nets’ 102-101 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night when Heat player Jimmy Butler fell back onto Durant’s knee after his shot was blocked by Ben Simmons. While Durant got up after a few seconds and appeared to attempt to play on, the Nets called a time-out 30 seconds later, during which Durant was taken out of the game.

In January 2021, Durant injured the MCL in his left knee, leading to him missing six weeks of action. He also missed over a month in 2017 due to a sprained MCL and a tibial bone bruise.

Durant will leave a big gap in the Nets’ roster during his absence, having averaged 30 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists this season, thereby being included in the conversation for this season’s MVP.

The post Kevin Durant Sidelined for a Month appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Early in the offseason, Durant asked to be traded before changing his mind and giving the team owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum. He was willing to remain in Brooklyn but wanted Nash and general manager Sean Marks fired. However, Tsai remained supportive of his coaching staff and front office, which forced Durant to change his stance and agree to return to the Nets regardless.

Nash was first to break the silence on this unusual situation, telling reporters on Tuesday that he didn’t see the ultimatum the same way everyone else saw it.

“Knowing Kevin as long as I have, it didn’t really bother me the way everyone would think,” Nash said. “That’s a part of being competitors. I wasn’t overly surprised, and I wasn’t even overly concerned.”

Nash added that the media reports didn’t tell the whole story but did not follow up on his remark. According to him, all parties have left the drama behind and are now only focusing on having success in the 2022-23 NBA season.

After another disappointing playoff exit with the Nets last season, Kevin Durant reportedly grew disillusioned about the situation in Brooklyn and made a trade request. The Nets did their due diligence and engaged in talks with several teams, but many believe the team never actually fully committed to trading away their best player.

The closest the Nets came to trading Kevin Durant was during talks with the Boston Celtics, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on the package. The Celtics were willing to offer All-Star Jaylen Brown and several other assets but rejected the Nets’ request to include reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, in the deal.

The post Nets’ Coach Steve Nash on Kevin Durant Wanting Him Fired: “It Didn’t Really Bother Me” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“[Head Coach] Steve Nash and I, together with [owners] Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday,” said general manager Sean Marks in a statement. “We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”

Durant, who has four years left on his contract, asked the Nets to trade him earlier this offseason. The team initially complied with the request but found that there was no deal out there that would make sense.

The closest they were to making a trade was when the Boston Celtics got involved, but the two sides couldn’t come to terms about compensation. The Celtics reportedly were willing to include All-Star Jaylen Brown and multiple picks in the deal, but the talks came to a halt when the Nets also asked for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and more draft assets.

Earlier this month, Durant showed a willingness to remain in Brooklyn but issued an ultimatum to Tsai to choose between him or Nash and Marks. Tsai didn’t budge and quickly reiterated his support to the coach and the GM, which ultimately took away Durant’s leverage.

Durant finished the 2021-22 season with averages of 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. The Nets failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs, falling to the Celtics, who went on to reach the NBA finals.

The post Kevin Durant Decides to Stay with the Brooklyn Nets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to sources close to the issue, Tsai met with Durant in London to discuss the player’s future. Durant is still insistent on moving away from the Nets after submitting a trade request on June 30. These developments come one year after the 33-year-old player signed an extension with the team.

With four years and $198 million left on his contract, the Nets can be patient when it comes to finding the best trade deal for Durant.

After joining the Nets in 2019, Durant’s tenure with the team has been riddled with issues. The player sat out the entire 2019-20 season with an Achilles tendon tear, during which time fellow new signing DeAndre Jordan was traded after a brief stint with the Nets.

Last season, Durant averaged 29.9 points in 55 games, in addition to leading the United States Men’s National Team to Olympic gold.

The post Nets’ Governor Tsai Backs Front Office During Durant Row appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to The Athletic‘s NBA insider Shams Charania, the latest team to get involved in the KD sweepstakes is the Boston Celtics. The 2022 NBA finalists have reportedly engaged in talks with the Nets and have already sent out an official offer.

Charania reports that Boston’s first offer included All-Star Jaylen Brown, guard Derrick White, and a draft pick, but the Nets decided to pass on it and counter with their own proposal. Brooklyn will accept Brown and draft picks but also wants reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and an additional rotation player included in the deal. The Celtics have so far been reluctant to make Smart part of the deal.

It is easy why both sides have the motivation to pull off a deal. The Celtics are already an NBA finals team as they are, and swapping Brown for Durant would, in theory, get them over the hump. The Nets, on the other hand, would get everything they have asked for in a potential KD trade, including an All-Star player, a starter, and draft picks.

The Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors still remain engaged with the Nets, although these conversations haven’t progressed as much as expected. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns are considered out of the race after giving DeAndre Ayton a max deal earlier this month.

The post Boston Celtics Join the List of Kevin Durant Suitors appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Speaking about his team’s struggles on Monday, superstar Kevin Durant said he believes the Nets’ shortcomings this season result from the knee injury he has been dealing with.

“To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury,” Durant said. “So I’m not looking at it like we’re just not a good basketball team.”

Durant was an early MVP candidate at the start of the season but suffered a sprained MCL in mid-January. The injury sidelined him for almost two months, causing the Nets to slip in the standings.

The 33-year-old player added that things would be different if he and his All-Star teammate Kyrie Irving were able to play. Irving was limited to away games for the better part of the year due to New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

It’s like there wasn’t a lot of continuity with me and Kyrie [Irving] out of the lineup, that’s just what it is,” he explained. “When we’re all on the floor together I like what we got.”

When healthy, Kevin Durant was one of the best basketball players on the planet. He averaged 30.1 points per game on 52.4 percent shooting while also adding 7.3 rebounds and career-high 6.1 assists per game.

The post Kevin Durant Says Nets’ Season “Was Derailed By My Injury” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

During a recent appearance on Play For Keeps podcast, Durant was asked to give his prediction on this year’s NBA Finals matchup.

“If I had to choose—and I hate doing that because you never know what could happen, you seen that with us last year—but if I had to choose, I’ll go with Clippers and Bucks for the championship,” said Durant.

When pressed to endorse a winner, the 2014’s MVP went with the team from LA: “And I’ll go with the Clippers.”

Clippers were one of the favorites for the title entering the season after acquiring All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in the summer. Despite some inconsistency and injury issues, they mostly met the expectations and currently sit at the No.2 in Western Conference with 45-22 record.

“They’re just so deep,” Durant explained. “They haven’t had their whole team together at once for a long period of time yet, and that talent is just undeniable.”

While there is no overwhelming favorite for the 2020 NBA Champion compared to some previous years, most people favor the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have the NBA’s best regular-season record at the moment, being led by the presumable MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

LA Lakers, who are No.1 in the West, are given the most chances behind the Bucks alongside Clippers. Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors are seen as having potential for an upset.

The post Kevin Durant Predicts 2020 NBA Champion: “I’ll Go with the Clippers” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The details are still unknown, but his stake is reportedly between 1% to 5%.

The NBA player has been interested in investing in a soccer team for a while now and has previously made two attempts to get a stake in his hometown club D.C. United. He was unsuccessful with D.C. United, but he remained interested in the MLS market and took the shot when the Philly opportunity became available.

Philadelphia Union began playing MLS as an expansion team in 2010, and so far, the club hasn’t had much success, but its fan base has been growing which may make them a good investment in the future.

Kevin Durant isn’t the only NBA player to invest in business ventures in soccer; Lebron James invested in soccer in 2011, buying a 2% stake in Premier League’s Liverpool and Houston Rockets’ player James Harden is part of an ownership group that took over Houston Dynamo and he owns a small part of the club.

The post Kevin Durant Buys Stake in MLS’ Philadelphia Union appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Durant, who signed with the Nets last summer, was previously scheduled to miss the entire season due to Achilles tendon injury he suffered during the 2019 NBA Finals. However, due to the NBA’s decision to suspend the competition due to coronavirus pandemic, many believed that Durant could end up playing if season resumes later in the summer.

Asked about his opinion on the matter during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Kleiman expressed doubt that Durant ends up playing so soon.

“From my standpoint, no,” said Kleiman. “I think it’s unrealistic. That’s just my view on it. We haven’t gotten deep into the conversation about it because of how unrealistic it all seems to me. I figure that, if something changed, he would tell me.”

Kevin Durant didn’t comment on his possible return in the past, but Brooklyn Nets’ general manager Sean Marks recently didn’t want to rule out that possibility. However, such a move probably wouldn’t be wise.

Once the NBA season returns, the schedule will be more pack and the games will be played with more intensity, which would increase the risk of injuries. Also, Nets aren’t particularly good at the moment and have lost their coach midway through the season, which decreases their chances of being competitive. So, even if Durant is ready to play, it would be better to keep him on the sidelines and have him ready for the 2020/21.

The post Kevin Durant’s Return This Season is “Unrealistic” Says Agent appeared first on yoursportspot.com.